ARCHITECTURE

WALLS OF WORSHIP The Scandinavia House exhibit “Sacral Space: Modern Finnish Churches,” which features drawings, photographs, videos, and three-dimensional models of 12 houses of worship in Finland, closes this weekend. Among the churches in the exhibit, which was organized by Helsinki’s Museum of Finnish Architecture, are Erik Bryggman’s Resurrection Chapel, Alvar Aalto’s Church of the Three Crosses, and Kristian Gullichsen’s Kauniainen Church. Through Saturday, noon-6 p.m., Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave., between 37th and 38th streets, 212-879-9779, $3 general, $2 seniors and students.

ART

FRONTIER MENTALITY California artist Llyn Foulkes laminated found objects onto hard surfaces for the works in “The Lost Frontier.” The exhibit is his first solo show in New York since 1990’s “POP,” which featured upholstery and pieces of clothing attached to painted surfaces. Through Saturday, March 19, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Kent Gallery, 541 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-627-3680, free.

OTHER VIEWS The exhibit “Viewpoints: Chinese Photography Today” features six photographers: Chi Peng, He Yunchang, Hong Lei, Song Dong, Weng Fen, and Zhang Huan. “Viewpoints” is a response to the popular touring exhibit “Between Past and Future – New Photography and Video from China,” which was shown in New York at the International Center of Photography and the Asia Society last summer. Through Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Chambers Fine Art, 210 Eleventh Ave. at 25th Street, fourth floor, 212-414-1169, free.

BENEFIT

CHARITY FOR CHILDREN The acrobatic dance group AntiGravity performs at a benefit dinner for the Children’s Muse um of the Arts. Kelly Ripa is the honorary chairwoman of “Artwork and Antics,” which benefits the museum’s educational arts programs. Tomorrow, 6:30-9:30 p.m., National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, between Irving Place and Gramercy Park West, 212-274-0986 ext. 11, $250.

BOOKS

SCARLET LETTERS Lauren Willig reads from her debut novel “The Secret History of the Pink Carnation” (Dutton), in which a Ph.D. candidate investigates a Pimper nel-esque spy who infiltrated Napoleonic France. Tonight, 6 p.m., Corner Bookstore, 1313 Madison Ave. at 93rd Street, 212-831-3554, free.

TIPSY TYPISTS The Drunken Careening Writers series hosts the author of “The Satanic Nurses and Other Literary Parodies” (Thomas Dunne), J.B. Miller. In Mr. Miller’s literary mashups, Philip Roth fights with Nathan Zuckerman, Norman Mailer writes “The Rules” for dating, and P.G. Wodehouse pens “She’s a Right Ho, Jeeves.” He is joined by actress and writer Elizabeth Whitney and playwright Charlie Schulman. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St. at Second Avenue, 212-505-3360, free.

COMEDY

RIOTOUS RED CARPET It’s movie awards season, which means that Joan Rivers has staked out her place on the red carpet. (This year she’s giving her fashion critiques for the TV Guide Channel cameras, since Star Jones Reynolds has taken over at E!) Ms. Rivers sharpens her claws with a series of stand-up shows at Fez, which are a good deal spicier than her pre-Oscar televised appearances. Wednesdays through February 23, 7:30 p.m. doors open, Fez Under Time Cafe, 380 Lafayette St. at Great Jones Street, 212-523-2680, $25.

DANCE

IT’S LIKE BUTTAH “Butter Melts Away My Letters” is a dark dance theater work about a group of young friends who share a two-floor loft space and try to make it in New York City. In this “anti-‘Rent'” version of the familiar story, they end up hustling. Gian Marco Lo Forte directs and Stephanie Rafferty is the choreographer. Through Sunday, February 27, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 2:30 and 8 p.m., La MaMa E.T.C., 74A E. 4th St., between Second and Third avenues, 212-475-7110, $15.

FAMILY

FUN FOR WEE ONES Mothers, mothers-to-be, and little ones are welcome to a babycentric afternoon at the Time Warner Center. Maternity-clothing designer Liz Lange shows her spring collection, children’s musician Brady Rymer performs, and Kindermusik offer a musical playtime for parents and babies. The first 50 mothers to arrive receive prizes from Maclaren, Boppy, and other baby brands. UrbanBaby and Babytalk magazine serve as co-sponsors. Today, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at 59th Street, 212-522-8989, free.

OLD-FASHIONED FUN Modern families can celebrate George Washington’s birthday in 19th-century style. The Crosswicks Dancers perform traditional English country dances and put on a historical fashion show at the “Birthday Ball.” Guests ages 3 and older can enjoy cookies and cider and tour the eight period rooms of the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum. Sunday, 1-3 p.m., Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, 421 E. 61st St., between York and First avenues, 212-838-6878, $10 general, $8 members, $5 children under 14, reservations recommended.

FILM

BLACK AND WHITE “Denying Brazil,” a documentary about black actors’ struggles to break into Brazilian soap operas, is screened in a series that resurrects some of the highlights from last year’s New York African Diaspora Film Festival. Tomorrow, 4:30 p.m., Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette St., between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100 for information, $10 general, $7 seniors, students on Monday-Thursday, and children under 12, $6 members.

POWER TRIPS Directors Peter Friedman and Roger Manley discuss their work after a screening of their 2004 documentary “Mana – Beyond Belief.” The film investigates objects from Japanese cherry blossoms to the Shroud of Turin, asking, “What makes matter matter?” The event is part of the Independents Night Documentary Series. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-875-5600 for information, 212-496-3809 for tickets, $10 general, $7 students, $6 members.

MANIC MONDAY After a screening of his 2004 film “The Girl from Monday,” director Hal Hartley discusses his views on digital production. The film is a “digital sketchbook” set in a dystopian future. Saturday, 4:15 p.m., Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, 718-784-4520, $18 general, $12 members.

FOOD & DRINK

ALL HAIL ALE A bank of vintage 1938 beer engines help dispense beer at the fifth annual Real Ale Cask Festival. The menu includes cask ales such as Adnams Tally Ho Strong Ale and Dark Star Festival, some never before served in New York. And yes, it really lasts until 4 in the morning. Friday, 1-4 a.m., Saturday, noon-4 a.m., Sunday, noon-2 a.m., the Brazen Head, 220 Atlantic Ave. at Court Street, Brooklyn, 718-488-0430, free to attend, 21 and older.

MUSIC

COATS OF MANY COLORS The Polyphonic Spree is part pop band, part symphony, and part gospel choir. The group’s members number around 25 and are anchored by “patriarch” Tim DeLaughter, the former singer for the Texas band Tripping Daisy. They perform wearing colorful robes and accompanied by an orchestra. Tonight, 8 p.m. doors open, Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place, between 15th and 16th streets, 212-777-1224 for information, 212- 307-7171 for tickets, $25.

VITAL ORGANS Juilliard organists perform a program that includes Charles-Marie Widor’s Symphony no. 6 in G Minor and Franz Liszt’s Adagio in D-flat Major. John Hong also performs his own variations on the Korean national anthem. Friday, 8 p.m., Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, West 65th Street near Columbus Avenue, 212-769-7406, free, tickets required, available at box office.

SONGS FOR SUDAN New York musicians turn out for a concert benefiting Action Against Hunger’s efforts in war-ravaged Darfur, Sudan. The eclectic program includes performances by jazz guitarist Peter Mazza, bansuri-bamboo flutist Steve Gorn, pianist Murray Weinstock, and members of Broadway Inspirational Voices. Sunday, 6 p.m., Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St., between Church Street and Broadway, 212-219-3132, $12 in advance, $15 at the door.

PHOTOGRAPHY

BOUNTIFUL BHUTAN The Rubin Museum of Art displays the biggest book in the world, according to the judges at Guinness. Its 112 5-by-7-foot pages were inscribed with a gallon of ink and contain enough paper to cover a football field. The 133-pound photography volume, titled “Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Kingdom,” is on view through this weekend. Through Saturday, today, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., tomorrow and Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-620-5000, $7 general, $5 seniors, students, and artists, $5 for residents of 10011 and 10001 ZIP codes, free for members and children under 12.

POETRY

LITERARY FOCUS The Poetry Society of America presents a reading with poets Linh Dinh, Mark McMorris, Tracie Morris, D.A. Powell, Joe Wenderoth, and Elizabeth Willis. Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, $8.

READING

PRICED OUT Mike Albo, whose well-reviewed solo show, “My Price Point,” closed Sunday at P.S. 122, joins author John Haskell at an installment of a Williamsburg reading series. Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., Pete’s Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St., between Frost and Richardson streets, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-302-3770, free.

TALK

BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL Artist Ike Ude joins a Yale professor of African-American studies, Terri Simone Francis, and a music professor, Jason King, to discuss the social history of black female beauty. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Studio Museum in Harlem, 144 W. 125th St., between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, 212-864-4500, $7 general, $3 seniors and students, free for children under 12.

THEATER

FAMILY CIRCUS Susan Austin Roth’s “Bye, Mom! Or How to Not Bury Your Mother” tells the story of a stubborn woman hanging onto life and her four children – an obsessed daughter, a nerd, a nebbish, and an airhead. When the not-so-happy clan convenes in Florida, the result is a dark comedy about questionable family values. Yanna Kroyt Brandt directs the Quercus production. Through Sunday, days and times vary, 45th Street Theater, 354 W. 45th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-279-4200, $15.

DRAMA FROM A TO Z The new play “The Secret Narrative of the Phone Book” is about an attempt to use seduction to stop corporate shenanigans. A theater critic at Newsday, Gordon Cox,wrote the play. Suzanne Ag ins directs the Horse Trade Theater Group production. Through Sunday, February 27, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Kraine Theater, 85 E. 4th St. at Second Avenue, 212-868-4444, $15 general, $8 students.

GENUINE GIOTTO? Previews of David Edgar’s “Pentecost” begin today at the Barrow Group’s new theater. The play follows a curator and an art historian debating the authenticity of what appears to be a Giotto painting. Opens: Monday, February 28. Runs: Through Friday, April 25,Wednesday-Friday, Sunday, and Monday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., the Barrow Group, 312 W. 36th St. at Eighth Avenue, third floor, 212-868-4444, $40.

HARD WORK An English translation of French playwright Jean-Claude Grumberg’s “The Workroom,” set in Paris during the years after World War II, opens this weekend. The play depicts eight war survivors attempting to repair their lives. Moni Yakim directs the Unbound Theatre production. Previews: Tomorrow and Friday, 8 p.m. Opens: Saturday, 7 p.m. Runs: Through Saturday, March 12, Wednesday-Saturday, 8 p.m., matinees at 3 p.m. on March 5 and 12, Manhattan Theatre Source, 177 MacDougal St., between Waverly Place and 8th Street, 212-868-4444, $15.

VOLUNTEER

HELPING HANDS Speakers from New York charities discuss how to get involved with volunteering. Today, 6 p.m., New School, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-229-5488, free.

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